Look At Me
by fowlsprincess6138
Summary: Darling, look at me/ I'm falling like a fool for you/ Darling, can't you see, I'd do anything you want me to/ I tell myself, I'm in too deep/ Then I fall a little farther/ Every time you look at me. Based on the song by Carrie Underwood. Rated T to be safe.
1. Look At Me

**Hi, this is my first fanfic, reposted. More information on that in chapter 5. But anyway, this chapter is loosely based on the song "Look At Me" by Carrie Underwood, which I do not own, along with the characters and PJO/HoO universe. **

**Enjoy!**

Look At Me

"Leo, look at me."

Leo didn't turn away from the new defense mechanism he was working on in the engine room of the Argo II to acknowledge Hazel. All he wanted was for her to go away, to leave him be, because being near her was just _so_ hard.

Why did his life have to be so complicated? He had liked so many girls. All off-limits, all out-of-his-league, but that had never bothered him before. On his last quest, he had crushed on two girls in two days. First Khione, the goddess of snow, when he already knew that relationships between deities and mortals are doomed to fail. Especially when they had such different, clashing powers as snow and fire.

Then he had liked Thalia, the forever single Hunter of Artemis. She hadn't given him the time of day, either. Not that he had expected her to. No girl ever had.

Until now. Hazel Levesque was the first girl to ever seem even slightly interested in him, and maybe that was partly the reason he had fallen for her. But she was the most off-limits of them all. Not just because she was Frank's girlfriend. Not just because he had promised Frank not to move in on her. Not just because it wouldn't exactly foster a feeling of camaraderie if he stole the girlfriend of one of the seven.

No, of all things, it was because he couldn't trust her _because_ she liked him.

Well, he could trust her. With some things, like secrets. Like his life. But he couldn't trust her to love him for him, he couldn't trust her to love him for anything other than he reminded her of Sammy.

Of course, it had to be _her_ for whom he had fallen.

"Leo, _look at me_." Her hand was suddenly on his shoulder, and he found her voice so compelling, more powerful than Piper's charmspeak, that he couldn't help but lay down his work and turn his face up toward her from where he sat on the floor.

He wished he hadn't. Because he knew he wouldn't be able to look away now. Not when he could see, in those golden eyes that he found so captivating, that she was, that she _had_ to be, the girl he had been looking for in all those beautiful faces he had been attracted to over the years. Not when he was too weak to tear his eyes away from hers with his heart beating as fast as his fingers usually drummed against his legs. Not when every time he fell into her eyes, he couldn't help but fall farther. And not when he felt like he wouldn't be able to stop himself from holding back his feelings for her any longer.

He had never been good at hiding his feelings.

"Leo, it's not your fault."

It took him a moment to remember how to speak. "What?"

"You have to stop punishing yourself for Percy and Annabeth falling into Tartarus. You're going to drive yourself insane. And you're not..." Her voice faltered. "You're not acting like yourself."

Leo had momentarily forgotten about Percy and Annabeth. But the memory, and the anger that came with it, gave him the strength to tear his eyes away from Hazel's. "I'm sorry." He scowled down at the piece of work he had discarded onto the floor. "Would you rather me start acting like _Sammy_ again?" He knew that was low, but he couldn't help himself.

Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled up and being turned to face her. He had always admired her strength, both of body and character. "I want you," she stated flatly, her golden eyes flashing, "to act like _yourself_."

Again, he couldn't tear his eyes away from hers, despite the anger in hers. "Why should I? Whenever I act like myself, people get hurt. Remember Shrimpzilla? Remember Percy and Annabeth?"

"You are not responsible for everything, Leo Valdez," she said fiercely. "Don't you think that I blame myself, too? I was actually close to them. Maybe I could have done something to help them!"

"Hazel-"

"You are such an idiot, Leo Valdez," Hazel whispered, still fiercely. "We are all to blame for something. I was responsible for Alcyoneus rising. I might be responsible for Percy and Annabeth falling. I was responsible for Sammy-" her voice cracked. "… for Sammy feeling guilty."

"You weren't-"

"But I feel like I am, and that's the point! We are all responsible for something bad happening, Leo," she whispered, "but we are also responsible for not letting the guilt change us."

They stared at each other.

Then Leo stuck out his hand and said, "Hello, Hazel Levesque. I'm Leo. Again." She stared at him, and Leo paused, remembering when he had once before said, "Hello, Hazel Levesque." The words that linked two different time periods, and two different, yet the same, boys. He wondered if he had just made a mistake.

But then Hazel slowly took his hand, but upon grasping it, pulled him closer and put her arms around him. And Leo found himself returning the gesture, because even though it was wrong, it felt right, and because he had felt so lost and angry a few minutes ago, but now he felt grounded as Hazel whispered in his ear, "Hello, Leo Valdez. We meet again."


	2. Dear Diamond

**Hello again! I do not own the song this chapter is based on, "Dear Diamond" by Miranda Lambert, nor anything from PJO/HoO. If I did, this would totally be canon.**

**Please review!**

Dear Diamond

Hazel wished he hadn't kissed her.

All she had done was give him some advice, just to help him to get back to normal, so he could return to being the cheerful, playful Leo they all knew and loved. For the past few days, ever since Percy and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus, Leo had been so angry and driven, and finally, Hazel hadn't been able to stand it any longer. She _had_ to help him, before he dropped from exhaustion or before his personality change became irreversible. (_Because, _a voice in the back of her mind said, _then you would have nothing left to remind you of Sammy._) So Hazel had come down here to the engine room, where she had known Leo would be working furiously.

She had tried to rationalize what she was doing. After all, it was for the good of the whole crew if Leo went back to normal. Jason and Piper would get their best friend back and Leo and Frank would be less likely to kill each other. She tried to ignore the fact that she would once again be gaining the laughing, joking look-a-like of Sammy, her first boyfriend. It was often infuriating in just how much Leo reminded her of Sammy, but it was also strangely, anxiously irresistible. Not many people get a do-over with someone they'd left behind long ago, and now she had almost exactly that.

At first he had refused to look at her. Hazel knew that Leo had been trying to avoid her recently because he had promised Frank he would. But she had finally gotten this extremely stubborn demigod to listen to her and to actually take her advice. It had probably been a mistake to hug him, but the sincerity in his brown eyes and the relief on his face had made her so _happy_ that she had been able to fix him, like he was able to fix so many things. It had made her feel _needed_. Hazel had slipped her arms under his and up his back, resting her head on his shoulder. And she had felt so completely the unnatural, but comforting warmth of his body and the gentleness of his hands at the small of her back. So Hazel hadn't been able to resist when he had pulled away slightly, looking into her eyes, and then slowly, softly kissed her.

And Hazel had known, the moment his lips met hers, that Leo was in love with her. It was in the hesitancy in the way his mouth lingered on hers, the caress of his hand sliding up her back to her shoulder, his rapid heartbeat that she could feel under his shirt. And she knew that he was trusting her in a way that he hadn't trusted anyone else, ever. While Leo seemed to be possibly the most extroverted person on the ship, she had quickly learned that he rarely acted or, even showed, if he could help it, his innermost feelings. For him to actually kiss her was like someone else proposing marriage.

But Hazel also knew that as much as she liked Leo, she would only end up breaking his heart. She would never be able to pick him without wondering if it was only because he reminded her of Sammy, and she couldn't break up with Frank because of a feeling that she _might_ have for Leo. And she knew that when Leo found out, it would be the worst thing she had ever done, worse even than raising Alcyoneus or a dead person sneaking out of the Underworld.

Even as she continued to kiss Leo back, Hazel felt like a monster. Here she was, Leo's first love, and she was going to be destroying something exceedingly precious and incomparably delicate. And in destroying that, Leo would be losing so much more than she knew he thought he might. Because a simple "no" can be heartbreaking to someone who lets themself hope for a "yes."

Should she pull away now and break the news to him, and hope it will be a clean break that way? Or should she let him pull her closer, afraid that what she would say would kill him?

Hazel prepared herself, knowing what was right, and was about to pull back, but then she felt Leo tapping her shoulder gently, almost imperceptibly. Nico had taught her Morse Code a few months ago, and she realized that Leo was tapping something in Morse Code. Her heart sank. _I love you_.

She couldn't do it.

So Hazel wrapped her arms tighter around Leo, pulling him closer, and swore that she would never, if she could help it, let Leo learn the truth. Because if even she couldn't bear to face it properly, how could he?


	3. Starts With Goodbye

**A/N: Okay, so I do not own any of the characters, or the song "Starts With Goodbye" by Carrie Underwood. A thousand thanks to **girlwiththedarkhair **and Guest who reviewed the second chapter****. ****Sorry for taking so long to update. I had this chapter written, but I was hoping to get a few more reviews and then we had a family event here, and I was busy with that. **

**So now I present Chapter Three: Starts With Goodbye.**

Starts With Goodbye

"How could you?"

Hazel looked away as Frank asked her that. She wasn't sure she could answer that question. Truthfully, anyway. She knew, in theory, why she had done it, but that was only the reason she had been telling herself. She was pretty sure there was another one, the main reason, that she wasn't ready to face.

Hazel dared to glance up at Frank. He looked angry and upset. And he should be. He had just caught her kissing Leo up on the deck of the Argo II when she and Leo were supposed to on guard duty. And of course, he had confronted them about it. Leo had been so sweet, defending her, saying that it was his fault, and not to blame her. Even though it really was her own fault for letting it get this far.

Frank sat down on his bed. After the confrontation, he had dragged her down to his room, where he had demanded answers. "How long has this been going on?" he asked, folding his arms.

"What makes you think that this wasn't the first time?" Hazel asked. She knew it was useless to be evasive, but she was trying to figure a way out of this. She remembered Leo's catchphrase, "I can fix this." But that just made her feel worse.

Frank sighed, turning his face away from her. "You've been acting… distant lately. And you've been spending a lot of time with him. I knew something had to be going on."

Hazel didn't look at him. If she told him anything, he was going to make her choose. How could she choose between two things that she loved? It wasn't as if she had fallen out of love with Frank, she had just fallen in love with Leo, too. _Or are you just in love with a memory_? Hazel thought miserably.

"Just the past few days," she said finally.

After a few moments, Frank said, "I know why you've been doing this."

She looked at him, wishing she could stop him from saying it, because she didn't want to hear it. To hear that she had been basically using Leo, no matter how true it might be. It would be too painful to hear that she could be that despicable.

"It's because he reminds you of him, right? He reminds you of Sammy and you never got over Sammy. And since the next best thing is right here…" Frank stopped for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

She nodded automatically.

"Did you… while you were with Leo, did you think of me at all? Of how I would feel?"

Hazel thought about it. "I knew that what I was doing was wrong, because I have a boyfriend. But… I didn't want to hurt Leo either. That's the problem," she said. "No one is going to come out of this without being hurt." She sighed. "Maybe I should have just told him 'no' in the first place."

"Hazel, you're going to have to break up with him."

Hazel stared at Frank. "I can't do that!"

"It's not fair to him, Hazel. It's not fair to any of us, but especially him, Hazel. You like him because he reminds you of your first boyfriend. You can't mess with his feelings like that."

"I already have!" Hazel cried. "I already have, and he won't understand if I break up with him."

Frank stood. "But you can't have both of us. You're going to have to choose." Then he left the room.

Hazel sat on Frank's bed. She knew she couldn't have both, but she wished she could. Why did choices always have to be so hard? Now she knew what Venus/Aphrodite had meant when she said that Hazel would face heartrending days. If she ever saw that goddess again, she was going to tell her to shove it.

Hazel lay back on the pillows. Frank was right. She didn't know that she loved Leo. She loved Sammy and so she loved Leo. But she didn't actually love Leo for himself. But how could she tell him that? How could she tell him that she had lied to him, had used him? Leo would never understand. She would be the last of a long line of people who had rejected him, but she would be the only one he had really cared about.

She would have a good life with Frank. Frank made her happy, and after she left Leo, she wouldn't feel so torn anymore. She knew that. Then why did it hurt so much just to think about it? Hazel thought about the expression Leo would have on his face when she told him, and Hazel felt sick. How could she do that to someone she cared about?

But she had to move on. She had to leave Sammy behind. He was from a different time. She had Frank now. And Frank was funny, and sweet, and kind, and brave. He was an amazing boyfriend. She would be a fool to let him go for someone who she wasn't sure exactly why she liked him.

Hazel forced herself to stand up and walk to the door. Then she continued upstairs onto the deck, feeling like an automaton. She saw Leo by the wheel, and Hazel felt like something was breaking inside of her as she looked at his profile. He hadn't noticed her yet and he was softly speaking to Festus.

But then he turned towards her, as if she had made some noise or movement that had alerted him to her presence. His face was serious and worried. He studied her with concern in his eyes.

_This is it_, thought Hazel distantly._ It might hurt, but you have to move on and leave the past in the past_. And she was going to have to start by saying goodbye.

**A/N: Okay, I got the "leave the past in the past" thing from Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox. So I don't own that phrase. **

**Also, please, please review. Seriously. I will write the next chapter, but I won't update until I have ****at least** **3 reviews. 3****rd**** chapter, 3 reviews. It's not that hard. If you took the time to read the chapter, then you can take another minute to review. So far I have 101 views and 3 reviews. That's a difference of 98. **

**So please take a minute to review, even if you seriously hate this story (though don't bother to do that if you just don't like Lazel. Constructive criticism, please.) Oh, and if you're wondering, this chapter is not the end of Lazel for this story. I would never jump ship like that. **


	4. Wanted You More

**A/N: Thank you so much to the two Guests and **that'sthe411** who reviewed. Here's the update, so that'sthe411, you don't have to send Thalia and her wolves after me. Is it bad that I like being able to make people as desperate for me to update as I want other authors to update? So this chapter is based on Wanted You More by Lady Antebellum. I don't own the song or the PJO universe, because if I did own PJO, Lazel would be canon already.**

Wanted You More

It was a beautiful night for guard duty on the Argo II. The stars seemed so much more numerous when seen up in the sky, and the air was cool, with a soft breeze. Leo liked watching how it blew Hazel's curls around her face. She looked so natural and beautiful and warm, so completely different from Khione. Leo couldn't believe that he had liked the snow goddess last winter. How could you like two girls who were polar opposites?

He leaned against the railing and looked down at their entwined hands as he answered the question Hazel had just asked, tracing her fingers with his other hand. "What do I want to do after this? Well, assuming I don't die or cause the world to fall, I'll go back to camp. I'm thinking about going back to high school so that I can get into a good college-"

"College?" Hazel interrupted.

"Sure. Why not? I mean, you have a college in New Rome." He grinned sheepishly. "Well, you might not now, I might have blown it up. But still, a demigod going to college shouldn't be that surprising."

"I know," said Hazel. "Annabeth just said that a lot of Greek demigods don't go to college. Too dangerous."

"I laugh in the face of danger," said Leo, nudging Hazel's shoulder playfully. He couldn't believe he was here, alone with her, holding hands with her. Even with Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus, Leo had never been happier.

"You laugh in the face of anything and everything."

Leo laughed. "True. But anyway, I want to get into MIT, get a degree in engineering, and then I'll start the most fantastic engineering business the world has ever seen and drive out of business all the idiots who wouldn't hire my mom." Then he added thoughtfully, "And I also might, assuming we can get Greeks and Romans to make nice, get an engineering degree at the college in New Rome. You know, so I can prove I'm amazing at building both mortal and godly technology."

Hazel was quiet for a moment. "The college in New Rome?"

He frowned. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I'll just be, you know, in New Rome, too." She sounded nervous.

"Does that bother you?" Leo watched Hazel's eyes. Whenever he casually mentioned a future where the two of them might be together, or even in close proximity to each other, she always became guarded. He wondered if it was because she was still dating Frank and didn't seem to have any intentions of breaking up with him. Which annoyed Leo, because really, if she liked him enough to sneak around with him behind Frank's back, then shouldn't that mean that she liked him more than Frank? For the past few days, Leo had been waiting for some hint from her that that might be true, but he hadn't gotten one yet. And he wasn't about to try to make her break up with Frank, because then she might break it off with Leo. Leo tried not to think about that happening, because the idea was too painful. Even if Hazel wasn't only his, at least he could have parts of her. That was better than nothing.

Hazel didn't answer Leo's question, instead staring off into the distance, as if the answer to his question might be out there. It scared Leo so much when she did that, acted so distant, that he could hardly bear it.

"Hazel," he said softly, turning her towards him. Right now, when everything had just seemed so perfect, he so desperately wanted her to say that she wanted him, not Frank, that only Leo had her heart. For her to trust that Leo would never do anything to hurt her.

Slowly, he leaned down to kiss her, pulling her closer to him. She kissed him back hesitantly, as if afraid of committing herself. Leo slid his arms around her waist, gently holding her, and Hazel, after a moment, relaxed a bit, kissing her back more deeply.

"Hazel!"

Hazel pushed Leo away, and they turned to see exactly the person that Leo least wanted to see: Frank, looking angry, stunned, and betrayed.

Hazel leapt to defend herself. "Frank, it isn't what it looks like. I wasn't-"

"Cheating on your boyfriend?" asked Frank, glaring at her.

Hazel looked panicked, eyes darting wildly from Frank to Leo. That hurt Leo, but he wanted her to be happy, and if she wasn't happy with being with him, or with Frank possibly dumping her, then he would have to fix that.

"It wasn't her fault," said Leo quietly. "I kissed her. It won't happen again."

"It most definitely will not," Frank growled. He grabbed Hazel's hand. "We need to talk, Hazel." He dragged her off. Hazel sent one look back to Leo, her expression torn.

Leo slowly walked over to the wheel and his navigation system. His feet were like lead, and he felt as panicked as Hazel had looked. She was going to break it off with him. It was obvious now. He had been ignoring the signs up until now, hoping that Hazel would change her mind. But now – the way she was always so guarded, so hesitant, how she never wanted to talk about herself, or them – it was so clear. Leo felt like an idiot, like he deserved that dunce cap that Sammy had gotten back when Hazel still lived New Orleans.

Leo examined the monitors on his navigation system, but didn't really see them. He kicked one of the computers in frustration with himself, and didn't care whether or not he broke it. How could he have been so stupid, to think that she would actually choose him? He had just set himself up for rejection again.

Festus creaked, and Leo muttered, "I'm fine." Then, in response to another question, "I never look good. Maybe if I did, I wouldn't have this problem." He sighed, then said, "Can you just – just tell me everything on the ship I still have to fix or make?" Maybe working would distract him from the inevitable looming.

He and Festus were discussing repairs to the ship five minutes later when Leo felt Hazel's eyes on him. He took a deep breath, in a useless effort to prepare himself, then turned toward her. Hazel looked like she was seasick.

Leo didn't say anything. He was not going to start the conversation in which she would break up with him.

"Frank and I talked," Hazel said finally. "And afterwards, I did some thinking." She stopped, as if not wanting to go on. Leo went back to his monitors, needing something to occupy his hands with.

"I used you," she blurted out. Leo stopped, staring at her. What? "I used you, I only liked you because you reminded me of Sammy, and I didn't want to break up with you because I knew it would hurt you."

Leo wanted to laugh and say, _And doing it now is going to hurt me less? _Instead he asked, "Are you sure? I mean, about liking me only because of Sammy?" He couldn't believe how calm he sounded.

He could see in Hazel's eyes that the answer was _No_, but that she knew that that answer would hurt him more, since she was leaving him despite liking him. What she actually said was, "Yes."

Leo sighed, and turned back to his controls.

"Aren't you mad at me?" asked Hazel.

Leo shrugged. "I guess I already knew. That I wanted you more than you wanted me. Just like always," he couldn't help adding bitterly.

Hazel looked like she wanted to reassure him that he was wrong. That was one of the things he loved about her. How she always wanted to help people. Her kindness. Her compassion.

She still stood there, looking hesitantly at him. "You can go now," he told her. He didn't want her to see how much this was hurting him. And he had never been good at acting.

"I'm sorry," Hazel said desperately. "Leo-"

"I know," he said.

Hazel turned to go, but then caught his arm, and then he was staring into those golden eyes of hers and being drawn into them, as he always was. Then she kissed his cheek and whispered, "I really do like you." Then she was gone.

Leo leaned against his controls, feeling numb. This was worse than when Festus had died, and he still wasn't completely over that. Would he ever be able to move on past Hazel? How could he when Hazel had just said she did like him? How could she just leave him hanging like that? Being given just that tiniest sliver of hope was worse than the actual break up.

He would just have to work harder now, to keep it at bay. Treat himself like one of his father's automatons. Because, for now at least, being numb was better than feeling the pain.

"I don't need her," he told himself. "I don't need her."

But that was easier to say than to believe.

_I guess I wanted you more_

_And looking back now I'm sure_

_I wanted you more_

_I guess I wanted you more_

_I don't need you, I don't need you anymore_

**A/N: I hope you all liked it. Let me know how I did keeping Hazel in character. As always, please review. I'll need four reviews to post the fourth chapter. Thanks for reading.**


	5. The Story of Us

**A/N: I am so sorry for the late update! I got kind of busy so I wasn't home as much. But also, I wrote this chapter, then decided that it was sucktastic, so today I completely rewrote it. This one is based on **_**The Story of Us**_** by Taylor Swift. **

**Thank you so much for all the reviews. Oh, and thank you to I am that Writer and Nadiaforever21 for your feedback. You were right that Leo needs to be funnier, so I tried to work on that in this chapter. Let me know how I did.**

**So anyway, when you finish this chapter, please review. I would like five reviews for this one.**

**Disclaimer: Amazingly, I still do not own PJO. And if I did, it would take me a lot longer than a year for **_**The House of Hades**_** to come out. I don't own Taylor Swift's **_**The Story of Us**_** either.**

The Story of Us

Hazel sat in the mess hall, staring miserably at her food and twirling spaghetti tighter and tighter around her fork. She was only vaguely aware of her friends throwing worried glances at her every now and then, but she didn't care enough for it to bother her.

Twenty hours had passed since Hazel had broken up with Leo. Twenty hours and she hadn't stopped regretting it. The look on Leo's face when she told him she'd used him kept playing on repeat through her mind. Not that she wanted to not be with Frank… oh, it was just so complicated. Hazel wondered if Aphrodite hated her, messing with Hazel's feelings like this.

Jason and Piper were discussing Leo. "Have you seen him today, Piper?" Jason asked.

Piper grimaced. "Kind of. I, um, charmspoke him into letting me into the engine room to talk to him, since he's locked himself in there."

Nico snorted. "I bet Leo loved that."

Piper grinned sheepishly. "Well, I've actually done it before, you know, because he was working so hard on the ship for the past six months, and I didn't want him to work himself to death. It always really irritates him when I do it, though." She imitated Leo. "'Really, Pipes, charmspeaking me is not the way to endear yourself to me. Expensive presents, yes. Putting in a good word for me with your really cute Aphrodite sisters, even better. But not charmspeaking.'"

Hazel saw Leo quietly enter the mess hall behind Piper and Jason, and for a moment their eyes met. And for a moment, it was as if she could see a glimpse of the future they could have had if Hazel had chosen him. Leo quietly comforting Hazel after she broke up with Frank. Cracking jokes as he showed her what a chicken nugget was. Her watching him working in the forges at Camp Half Blood. And eventually, a grown up Leo swooping to pick up a small girl with his hair and his beautiful brown eyes, as a young boy with golden eyes chased after them.

But then Leo tore his gaze from hers, avoiding looking at her again. Hazel sat quietly stunned, wondering if what she had seen was one of her powers, kind of like the flashbacks, being able to see things she had left behind.

"Oh, hey, Leo," said Nico, smiling slightly at Leo. It was scary how quickly Nico and Leo had become friends. But they apparently had a lot in common, not the least of which that they were both loners. "How has it been going?"

"Oh, great. I love it when people talk about me when I'm not there. Just goes to show how popular I am."

Jason and Piper turned around, grinning sheepishly at Leo, at being caught in the act of talking about him.

Leo shifted, not making any move to sit down, and grinned at Piper and Jason. "Didn't realize I have such awesome ninja skills, did you? Hey, do you think I got what it takes to be the next 007?"

Piper snorted. "You want to play alongside my dad in that James Bond movie?"

"You might want to wait till you grow a bit more, though," Jason advised Leo. "I've never seen a five foot six James Bond."

Leo looked insulted. "Come on. Aren't spies supposed to be small? So that they can get into places other can't?"

Frank snorted. "You mean, like big stupid Romans like me?"

Leo beamed at Frank. "See, now you're catching on! Keep it up and maybe I'll give you a gold star."

"Um, Leo, you know you're allowed to sit down, right?" Jason frowned.

Leo shifted, eyeing the only seat available, which was next to Hazel. "I – I'd rather not, actually. I guess I'll eat later." He turned back toward the door.

Piper looked at the available seat, then at Hazel, and seemed to understand. "Hey, Leo, you can sit next to me," she said, scooting closer to Jason.

Leo hesitantly came and sat down next to her, across from Hazel. He avoided Hazel's eyes, and Hazel looked away, turning instead toward Frank. She saw that Frank was watching her carefully.

The rest of the meal was that way, Nico and Jason and Piper filling in quiet, as Leo was, they soon realized, not really in the mood for conversation. A really tense moment came when Leo and Hazel reached for a bowl of sauce at the same time and their hands touched. They stared at each other for a moment, then both pulled back their arms like there were spiders in it. The silence filled the room.

Hazel wanted to cry. How had she let things get this way? Maybe she and Leo hadn't always been totally comfortable around each other, but at least they were able to talk to each other. While some of the silences between them had been a bit awkward, during others they had had the shy but comfortable feeling between two people who liked each other. Now, the silence was so loud and tangible, Hazel thought maybe it did have some physical form that could be shattered.

And thinking about the way they were avoiding each other, Hazel knew that it was too late, but that, if things had been different, if she had met Leo a day earlier maybe, he could have been the one. Maybe if they talked, Leo would agree to take her back if she asked him. Even if she had no idea how to tell him how much she was missing him already, how the past twenty hours had been some of the worst hours of her life.

But no. It was too late and all Leo Valdez was to her now was her greatest _what if_. She would just have to deal with the fall out by herself.

_Oh, I'm scared to see the ending, why are we pretending this is nothing_

_I'd tell you I miss you, but I don't know how_

_I've never heard silence quite this loud_

**A/N: Please review!**

**A/N: 09/23/2013: Okay, I'm really, really sorry I suddenly just pulled my story off fanfiction. I kind of freaked out about the S.O.P.A. thing when I heard about it. I know, I was being kind of ridiculous, but at the time I thought I was being logical. And then, I though about reposting this, but I didn't know if I should because I have no idea when I'm gong to update again. But now I've decided to put it back up again at my own possible peril if S.O.P.A. ever does come to pass. However, I do not know when I will be able to update. Hopefully, sometime in October. And the next chapter is going to be based on the song "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele.**

**Sorry for my absence/ridiculousness and I hope you enjoy the story. And I would love reviews! They are always helpful.**


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